I 'O UJ O Brownfields 2004 Grant Fact Sheet Two Rivers- Ottauquechee Regional Commission, Central Vermont EPA Brownfields Program EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu- nities, and other stakeholders in economic development to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. Abrownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, the President signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response pro- grams through a separate mechanism. Community Description The Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. The region covers 28 towns (combined popula- tion of 49,017) in Windsor, Orange, Rutland, and Addison Counties in east-central Vermont. Most of the towns in the region are small, and their brownfields properties tend to be located in downtown districts. While each town is different, the region has been losing manufacturing jobs without replacing them with comparable work. Poverty rates in 11 towns exceed Assessment Grant $200,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission for a brownfields assess- ment grant. Grant funds will be used to identify and select sites on which to perform six to eight Phase I, four to seven Phase II, and one or two Phase III site assessment, and to support ongoing public outreach. Contacts For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/ brownfields. EPA Region 1 Brownfields Team 617-918-1221 http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/ Grant Recipient: Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, VT 802-457-3188 ext. 24 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. those for the state as a whole, and unemployment rates for some towns have been as high as 11 percent. Redevelopment of vacant and underused buildings in these depressed downtown areas will aid in their economic recovery. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-04-239 June 2004 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- |